How to fund an estimated half-million in repairs has stalled the reopening of Dobson Pass.

The pass was closed in April due to a massive fault that collapsed 300 feet near the top of the road. While the area of the collapse is stable with the water gone, funding issues have delayed the timeline for repairs.

"We've been successful at keeping the concrete from moving more," said Public Works Director John Thomas. "Remediation work has helped to make it stable now, and the concrete has stopped shifting."

However, more work still needs to be done on the road - work Thomas said would cost around $500,000. A steep pricetag for the county, Thomas said, so they have been looking for assistance in fixing the road.

Though declared a state disaster on April 1, the federal government isn't helping cover the bill because federal budget cuts have raised the threshold for federal funding for relief to at least $750,000 in damages. To complicate the funding even more, the state of Idaho isn't helping to repair the road because it's technically federal damage being on a federal road.

Similar damage forced Dobson Pass to close in 2011, when 100 feet of the road collapsed. The county was able to get relief from the federal government because the threshold for aid was lower then.

Thomas said Shoshone County is attempting to get assistance from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council - an organization whose mission is to assist local highways repair damage in an efficient and effective manner.

Until they are accepted or find the funds elsewhere, there is no set timetable on when Dobson Pass will be fully repaired.